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Thursday, October 25, 2012

They were such a good treat to have on a casual, Saturday morning. We actually haven't made them since we originally made them awhile ago. Definitely not something that you'd want to indulge in too often but they're so worth it!

These were a little more time consuming than regular pancakes but odds are, if you're spending time to make pancakes, you probably have a little extra time to spare.

You can make the pancake batter from scratch or use a prepared pancake mix like Bisquick if you're in a hurry.

The first step is to prepare the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Next, you'll want to prepare the cream cheese glaze. In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes. {You could probably do this in the microwave too. I didn't try it but I'm sure you could softened the cream cheese, stir it together by itself, then add the melted butter and the rest of the ingredients.}

Finally, prepare the pancake batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened. You'll have a few small lumps, which is fine.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. (I used a griddle so that all the pancakes were done at the same time) Using a small measuring cup (I think I used 1/3 cup or something similar) scoop the batter onto the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low.

When the pancakes begin to form bubbles, swirl your cinnamon filling into a circular pattern onto the pancake. Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes or until the bubbles begin popping on the top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom.

Gently, but quickly flip the pancake over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the other side is golden brown as well.

Right before serving the pancakes, drizzle with some of the cream cheese glaze.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

This was the most fun I've had making cupcakes in a LONG time. My Chiropractor and his Wife are expecting their first child in March. I'm due in January and it's been so fun to have someone else to chat about pregnancy with. Granted, I see more of him than I do of her but ... it's still fun. She and I have had very, very similar pregnancies. We've both felt great, mild nausea, no morning sickness.

Recently, she messaged me on Facebook and asked if I could make them a dozen cupcakes for a gender reveal dinner that they were having with his Family. I was elated! I've seen this on Pinterest before but had never thought I'd do something like this.

{Side note: I now wish we would have done something fun like this when we found out we were having a Girl. The way the ultrasound tech told us was pretty lackluster and looking back on it, it's probably just a ho-hum, every day experience for her. Having a little more excitement around it would have been fun! Maybe for the next kiddo.}

She sent me the Pinterest link for the cupcake that she liked. It was a simple chocolate cupcake with what looked like a chocolate ganache on top and then a question mark on top of the cupcake piped in a white frosting. I knew right away what I wanted the cupcakes to look like and I couldn't wait to practice before the big day!

They had their 20wk ultrasound and her Husband found out what they were having and she decided to wait for the cupcakes. He text me early afternoon after their appointment and told me which cupcakes to give her. I was so excited I could hardly stand to sit at work the rest of the afternoon. I was so nervous on the drive home that I'd either a.) spill the beans or b.) give her the wrong dozen cupcakes. {Even though I had labeled them for myself with a post-it note}

I know a few people who are pregnant right now who are due after me. It would be so fun to make these again or to even make a gender reveal cake.

I realized today that I put the second row, far right cupcake in the carrier crooked and I really am fighting some OCD urges with wanting it to be fixed!

Preheat oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in each well of a cupcake pan.

Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes. Stir in your boiling water. Mix until the water is combined thoroughly. The batter will be very thin. This is ok.

Pour batter into prepared, lined cupcake pan, filling each liner about 2/3 full. Bake 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt. Mix until combined. Gradually add the milk and beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. You may not need all of the milk. Add a tablespoon at a time until it becomes the consistency you desire.

Combine the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate chips, cover and let sit for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, if the chips aren't completely melted, return to medium heat and stir frequently until all the chips are melted. Stir in the vanilla extract until combined and the chocolate mixture is smooth. Cool the glaze until it is lukewarm at which point if you were to pour a spoonful back into the rest of the glaze it would mound slightly.

Friday, October 5, 2012

I participated in another Recipe Swap on the online cooking forum that I frequent. This time the theme was Breakfast. I was assigned Sarah's blog again, A Taste of Home Cooking.

Both Matt and I are breakfast people. We can't skip breakfast. Most of the time, I wake up starving each morning. Especially now that I'm pregnant, there is no way I can skip breakfast. When I do eat breakfast, it has to be something somewhat hearty. I can't just eat yogurt or fruit. I need some protein in there too.

These breakfast sandwiches were perfect. They could easily be a weekday morning breakfast or a made from scratch, weekend breakfast. I was really skeptical of the cream cheese and raspberry jam aspect of this recipe. The salty, sweet, creamy components of this sandwich really make it one of a kind. Better than any fast food breakfast sandwich! I tried it both with an over easy egg and a fried egg. I much prefer the over easy egg sandwich. It adds an additional flavor!

You could definitely prepare these for a large crowd as well. People could top their sandwiches with our without the cream cheese and raspberry jam, you could offer bacon in addition to or instead of sausage ... the possibilities are endless!

Since it makes 8 breakfast sandwiches, I plan on preparing them and keeping them in the refrigerator so we can grab, heat and go during the week. I'm hoping microwaving it doesn't ruin the cream cheese/raspberry layer. We'll see! I'll be sure to report back.

Fry your sausage so that it's cooked through. Wipe out your skillet and use it to make your eggs. You could do a scrambled egg, fried egg, over-easy egg, whichever you prefer.

When your biscuits are done, sausage is cooked and eggs are cooked, you're ready to assemble!

Cut each biscuit in half. Spread cream cheese (however much you prefer) onto each biscuit half. Spread some raspberry jelly on top of the cream cheese. Again, use however much you like. I used a small amount of each. Then, place your sausage patty on one half of the biscuit. I cut my sausage patties in half, lengthwise so that they covered more of the biscuit. Then, place your egg on top and lastly, the other half of the biscuit.